


Morning in Lestallum

by violetstorm



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Castle in the Sky AU, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, Humor, Inspired by Studio Ghibli, Kissing, M/M, So much kissing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-31
Updated: 2019-07-31
Packaged: 2020-07-28 06:08:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,179
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20059291
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/violetstorm/pseuds/violetstorm
Summary: Gladio and Ignis settle down to have dinner, expecting a quiet, peaceful night between the two of them. Their plans go astray when they're interrupted by Prompto knocking at their door with a boy who fell from the sky.(OR: the sappy, fluffy Castle in the Sky AU that nobody asked for).





	Morning in Lestallum

**Author's Note:**

> saw some tweets a long while back brainstorming about a gladnis/promptis castle in the sky AU and i took the idea and kinda went ham. (i can't find those tweets anymore but if somebody has them, pls send me a link so i can properly shout them out ???)
> 
> title taken from Castle in the Sky's OST: "Morning in the Mining Village"

The first sign that something was wrong should have been the loud noise Ignis had heard overnight. It sounded like an explosion, somewhere far, a faint  _ boom  _ that stirred Ignis from his sleep. Perhaps he would have investigated, but with Gladio’s arms holding him down into the warmth of their bed, he couldn’t bring it in himself to move.

The second sign were the airships and automobiles moving out and about around town the next morning. They were a rare sight indeed, and never a good one at that. So when Gladio left for work in the mines, perhaps Ignis kissed him a little harder as he pressed Gladio’s homemade lunch into his hands with a whispered, “Take care, love.”

The third sign were the visitors to his bakery. It was a well-sized, popular bakery in the center of town and Ignis loved his craft, taking great pride in the way the townsfolk would shower his food with compliments. He knew the regulars, quite well in fact, so when foreign men came marching into the shop, demanding if Ignis had seen a young boy with messy black hair and blue eyes, perhaps he was a little on edge.

And the fourth sign was most likely the frantic knocking on his door late at night. Ignis was just adding the finishing touches to his and Gladio’s dinner and ready to spend the entire night away relaxing in Gladio’s arms, perhaps giving him a massage to ease the pains of a miner.

Gladio got up from the couch, setting his book down. “I’ll get it.” With a groan and a stretch (in which Ignis used the time to admire his lover’s  _ glamourous  _ muscles), Gladio made his way towards the door. Ignis quickly cleaned his hands, fingers itching to take hold of a knife— those men from earlier were still around and he was more than a little worried.

He heard Gladio open the door and he froze, until a familiar voice came through, faint under Gladio’s baritone.

“Heey, big guy.”

“Prompto? What're you doing here so late? And who’s your friend?”

Sure enough, when Ignis approached the door, he eased past Gladio to see Prompto standing on the doorstep, bouncing from foot to foot, wearing a sheepish grin. And, just behind him was a young boy, perhaps around the same age, looking equally as sheepish.

“Evening, Prompto. What brings you here?” Ignis asked.

Prompto looked around the streets— empty. “Sorry for the intrusion— it’s just that we really need a place to stay? Er, hide? For a night? It’s a long story but can we come in? We can explain everything inside.”

Ignis and Gladio shared a quick look, then Gladio nodded and moved out of the way, letting the two bolt inside. “It sounds like one hell of a tale.” He immediately shut the door and locked it for good measure.

In the light of the house, Ignis could see the boy more clearly now. His black hair was sticking in all sorts of directions and his blue eyes shone. He was pale— not as pale as Prompto— and looked a little too familiar. “Black hair, blue eyes, a ring on your right finger,” Ignis listed as his gaze wandered downwards. “You’re the boy those men were searching for earlier today.”

The boy and Prompto  _ froze.  _ With wide eyes, they regarded Ignis and the boy almost cowered behind Prompto.

Gladio’s the first to speak. “Who are you?” he said to the boy.

“No wait— listen!” Prompto leapt in front of Noct, waving his hands about. “It’s not for something illegal we did— I swear! Those men that were around town earlier were Aranea’s pirates. They want something from Noct and we—”

“Hold on a sec—” Gladio shook his head. “Did you say  _ Aranea’s  _ pirates were searching for you? The  _ Imperials?  _ The hell did you do to earn their wrath?”

“Prompto…” the boy started.

“It’s okay, we can trust ‘em. And they’ll trust us,” Prompto assured. “Uh, it’s kinda a long story?”

Ignis looked to Gladio again, to Prompto, to the boy. And sighed. “Shall we discuss this over dinner?”

* * *

“So,” Prompto nervously laughed. “Uh, where do we begin?”

“With some names, perhaps?” Ignis prompted, continuing to set the table. Their windows were shut, curtains drawn, and the atmosphere around the table was stiff. “I’m sure Prompto has introduced us already, but allow me. I am Ignis Scientia.”

Gladio grunted. “Gladiolus Amicitia. Call me Gladio.”

The boy hesitated. “Noct. Name’s Noct. Um, Noct Gar.”

“Interesting. That’s a name I haven’t heard from around here. Where are you from, Noct? How did you two meet?” Ignis asked. Noct pursed his lips, not-so-subtly elbowing Prompto.

“Okay, this is gonna sound like, real wild, but just bear with me for a sec, ‘kay?” Prompto pushed his food around on his plate and perhaps on a better day, Ignis would have chided him about his manners. “So I was like, coming home from work last night and it was really late since there was an issue in the mines—”

“Get on with it,” Noct hissed.

“I’m telling a _story!” _Prompto quipped right back. “Anyways, before I was so _rudely _interrupted, I was coming home and I thought I saw a shooting star, right? Heading straight to Eos. But when I came closer to see, I saw that there was a guy just _floating _down to Eos, like some kinda angel.”

“Still can’t get over how you thought I was an angel.”

“ _ Well,  _ he was surrounded by this blue glow so of  _ course  _ I thought he wasn’t human and had to be some kinda angel. Anyways, I caught him and then Noct woke up and we kinda talked and became friends—”

“Don’t you think you’re skipping out on some parts?”

“And as it turns out, Noct’s like, not from here? He’s some kinda magical dude that—”

“Oh- _ kay,”  _ Noct said, clapping a hand over Prompto’s mouth. “How about I take things over from here?”

“I believe… that would be best,” Ignis admitted. He loved Prompto, truly, but the boy was  _ terrible  _ at telling stories. He enjoyed going off on tangents too often.

“How the fuck were you glowing?” Gladio asked.

In response, Noct held out his right hand, showing off his ring, made of a material Ignis had never seen before. “This ring. Like Prompto said, I’m not from here. I’m, uh… look, you just have to trust me on this. I’m from someplace far and it’s kinda hard to remember all the details, but I was in an airship when it was attacked by Aranea’s pirates. They want this ring.”

“What’s it made of?” Gladio leaned forward, all-too-eager to analyze it. “Gotta be worth much if Aranea wants it.”

“A crystal?” Noct supplied. “It’s not important. This ring isn’t just some piece of expensive jewelry— it’s got magical powers in it. It protects me. I fell off the airship when it was attacked and without the ring, I would have crashed right into the ground. I… need to do something with it. I can’t remember. The attack kinda jostled my brain.”

Ignis hummed thoughtfully. “That’s quite the tall tale.”

“I know, Specs,” Noct said, ignoring Gladio’s moody,  _ ‘His name is Ignis.’  _ “I’m not asking you to believe me. But I  _ know  _ there’s something important about this ring and I have a duty to do, something prophesied. And I just need to find out what.”

“And how do you plan on doing that?”

“Altissia,” Prompto answered. “We’re going to Altissia for answers. We’re hoping to consult with Lady Lunafreya and maybe she’ll know what’s up with Noct. She deals with this sort of thing, doesn’t she? The mystical stuff.”

“Altissia?” Gladio said. “That place is far.”

“I know. But I’m willing to go that far for Noct. Besides, I’ve always wanted to visit Altissia,” Prompto said, so nonchalantly, like he was merely speaking about a quick detour as opposed to journeying to a far, far town for a boy he only just met. Not to mention that they had hardly any plan at all. There was a high possibility that their plan will fail.

Ignis massaged his forehead. “And what of you, Noct? Why Altissia?”

“Prompto said so.” Noct shrugged. Never mind— their plan would most  _ certainly  _ fail. “I’ve never been here before and I don’t know anybody other than Ardyn so I decided why not? S'not like I got any plan of my own."

“You are travelling to a town foreign to the both of you without any clue on what you’re looking for  _ while  _ being chased by pirates,” Ignis said. “Forgive me for saying so, but this is  _ foolish. _ ”

“Yeah, and?”

Oh, gods.  _ Please,  _ Ignis mentally asked Gladio,  _ please do something.  _

“Aranea’s gonna catch you guys in a heartbeat,” Gladio said, thankfully reading Ignis’ pleading expression. “Not to mention how you guys are gonna survive there. You’ll be blowing all your savings, Prompto. And for all we know, Noct could be working with Aranea. Who's to say he's even telling the truth about his magic?"

Well. Leave it to Gladio to lay it on thick. 

“ _ What?” _ Noct rose, kicking his chair backwards. He slammed his hands down on the table. “What would I get out of bringing Prompto to Altissia?”

Prompto nodded furiously. “Yeah, what would he get from me? S’not like I got much money or I’m an important person or anything.”

“That’s— That’s  _ not  _ was I was going for,” Noct groaned. 

“Whatever. Noct means well guys, and he's not lying about his magic. I've seen it with my own eyes. We can trust him. You can trust me trusting him?"

“I think that excuse would work if you weren’t so stupidly trusting of every single person you’ve ever met,” Gladio said. “But if you wanna be stupid, then who am I to stop you?”

“ _ Gladio—”  _ Ignis started. “Noct, please excuse his manners. As boorish as he can act sometimes, he only worries for Prompto. I’m sure you can understand why we are suspicious. It’s not everyday you meet a boy with a magical ring.”

Noct hesitated. “Guess so,” he finally admitted, then slowly sat back down at the table, glaring at Gladio over his uneaten dinner.

“Yeah, I know you guys are just looking out for me,” Prompto said. “And I know this seems kinda like an impulse decision but I’ve thought it through. I know Noct and I trust him. And besides, Aranea’s pirates kinda know that I’m helping him out so whether I like it or not, I’m just as much of a fugitive as him.”

Prompto’s face was uncharacteristically solemn, his lips pulled into a tight line. And his eyes—  _ those eyes. _

“Well, can’t argue with a face like that,” Gladio said. “What do you think, Iggy?”

Ignis sighed. Damn those puppy-dog eyes. “Prompto, if it’s your choice, we’ll respect that.”

Just like that, Prompto’s face brightened, his eyes sparkling. “Knew you’d come around! Thanks, you guys. For everything. Y’know?” He bumped Noct’s shoulder. “Toldja that they’d understand.”

“Great,” Noct said, and Ignis couldn’t tell if he was exasperated or relieved. “Thanks for not thinking that I’m gonna kill Prompto or anything. You guys got a spare room here or anything?” He stood again, a little more gently this time. “We’ve been on the run all day and I’m exhausted.”

“But  _ Nooct,  _ you haven’t even finished your dinner.” Prompto pointed to his plate, untouched. 

“Not hungry.” Noct began shoveling his food onto Prompto’s plate, starting with the vegetables first. “You can have it.”

“Noct—”

“If you’ll allow me, Noct,” Ignis smoothly cut Prompto off. “I’ll show you to our spare bedroom. I may have some clothes that would fit you better than Gladio’s.”

“Sure, Specs.”

“It’s  _ Ignis,”  _ Gladio grumbled.

“Iggy.” Noct had a slight tilt to his lips that looked too familiar to a smirk, obviously unaware of Gladio’s growing irritation. “Thanks for the dinner. Food was good. Night, Prompto.”

Prompto waved half-heartedly. “Night, Noct.”

“I’ll clean up the table,” Gladio stood and pressed a kiss to Ignis’ cheek, giving Noct a  _ look.  _ “Don’t worry about the rest.”

“Thank you, Gladio,” Ignis said. “Now, Noct, shall we?”

* * *

Dinner was a quiet affair afterwards. Dressed in Ignis’ spare clothes, Noct passed out like a lightbulb in Ignis and Gladio's spare bedroom and Prompto was soon to follow, declining the offer of a couch in lieu of sleeping next to Noct. That earned Gladio’s raised eyebrow and Prompto’s stutters.

Silently, Ignis lamented the loss of his evening with Gladio— or perhaps he was more obvious than he thought, he realized, when Gladio embraced him from behind as he was washing the remainder of their dishes.

“Hello, Gladio.”

“Hey, babe.” Gladio nuzzled his cheek into Ignis’ hair. “Think you can relax with the cleaning. I’ve never seen those dishes so shiny before.”

“I’ll not settle for anything less than perfect.”

Gladio pulled him closer, his back pressed to Gladio’s chest. “C’mon. I wanna finish another chapter in my novel and I need my husband to cuddle with me while I’m doing it.” His voice was a rumble, a purr in Ignis’ ear and he couldn’t help but exhale in relief as Gladio massaged the tension out of his body.

“It  _ is  _ quite late,” Ignis admitted. He untied his apron, setting it aside and ignoring Gladio’s hushed cheers. Evidently, he was taking too long, for Gladio approached him from behind and in one swift move, scooped Ignis up into his arms. “ _ Gladio!” _

“Sshh, Iggy, the kids are gonna hear you.” Gladio effortlessly carried Ignis over to their couch, laying him down on the cushion. He crawled over Ignis with a salacious smile, effectively pinning him to the couch. “Unless—”

“Gladio, we are  _ not  _ doing this with company in the house,” Ignis responded firmly. Gladio sat back, allowing Ignis to get up and smooth out his clothes. “Heavens knows the two will need some rest if they truly mean to go to Altissia tomorrow.”

“You think they were serious?”

“Was that truly a question, Gladio?”

Gladio hummed. “Yeah. You’re right. Never seen the kid so serious before. It must mean that Noct’s the real deal.”

“I’m afraid we have no choice but to trust them on this.” Ignis leaned into Gladio’s chest, sighing. “I’m worried for them. The two of them are woefully unprepared and reckless.”

“Prompto’s done a lot for us. I’d love to help him here but we can’t exactly leave the mines and your store alone. Cor can only handle so much, especially with Prompto gone, and I don’t wanna leave Iris and Talcott alone.”

“I agree. Though, I must say, Iris is quite capable of taking care of herself. More so than you, perhaps.”

“Hey!” Gladio swatted Ignis’ hip. “You’re right about Iris, but I’m perfectly capable, too.”

“I’ll believe you once you start making your own lunches for work.”

“Not my fault my husband makes such great food.” Tilting Ignis’ chin upwards, Gladio captured his lips in a quick, chaste kiss. “Besides, you’re always the one insisting you make something for me every morning.”

“I can’t have you going off to work without a meal, now can I?”

“I’ll be fine, Nyx’s cooking is still  _ edible.” _

Ignis cleared his throat.

“Okay, you’re right, it isn’t,” Gladio said with a grimace. “But anything tastes like shit when compared to your cooking.”

“I spoil you.”

“Then let me return the favour,” was all Gladio said in return, before he kissed Ignis again. Slow, deep— Ignis moaned, yielding to Gladio’s pleasurable assault as his hands found their way beneath his shirt. Gladio shamelessly ran his fingers over Ignis’ nipple, causing Ignis to gasp aloud. They shouldn’t be doing this— not with company sleeping in the next room over. Even still, Ignis arched his back, yearning for more of Gladio’s touch.

But, of course, that was the moment in which Gladio paused abruptly, breaking apart their kiss. He furrowed his brows and Ignis opened his mouth to ask Gladio what was wrong, only for Gladio to sit up and say, “Hey, the hell do you think you’re doing?” in the direction of their door.

Ignis sat up, thoughts of those strange men from earlier entering his house flooding his mind. He instead saw Noct, a bag in his hand, pulling on his shoes. Relief and confusion flooded his mind.

“Noct?” Ignis asked, frantically trying to smooth out his clothes and flatten his hair and make it appear as though he was  _ not  _ just sloppily making out with his husband on the couch like a bunch of teenagers. “Is something the matter? What are you doing?”

Much like a child caught with his hand in the candy jar, Noct looked away shamefully, hiding his bag behind his back. “Nothing. Didn’t mean to interrupt you. Carry on.”

“Think it’s a little too late for that,” Gladio said. He got off the couch, approaching Noct. “Where are you going?”

“I’m—”

“Running away?” Gladio finished. From the way Noct cringed, he hit the spot. Gladio crossed his arms, glowering. “What happened to all that talk before? With Prompto? Weren’t you two planning to head to Altissia?”

Ignis rose from the couch, walking to stand beside Gladio. “Noct, where are you planning on going? You are unfamiliar with this land, no? It will be dangerous to traverse alone. Gladio and I only wish to aid you.”

“I’ll be fine. I don’t need your help.”

“And what of Prompto? Surely you don’t mean to abandon him?”

Noct kicked at the ground. “You said it yourself, didn’t you? It’s dangerous and it doesn’t involve him. It’s not his business. He has no reason to stick around with me.”

“You’ve gotta be fucking—” Gladio started, only to be interrupted midway by Ignis, laying a careful hand on Gladio’s bicep.

“Allow me,” Ignis said smoothly. Gladio nodded and Ignis stared Noct down over the rim of his glasses. “Noct, do you really believe that? Prompto has every reason to stand by your side. He has been quite lonely as of late, you know. Gladio and I, there’s only so much time we can can do for him, what with the mines and the bakery keeping us busy.”

Noct narrowed his eyes. “What’s your point?”

“My point is that Prompto considers you a friend, Noct. He cares about you a great deal and is making no small sacrifice for you by going to Altissia. If you truly wish to leave, you could tell him beforehand, at the very least.”

“Only an idiot wouldn’t be able to see how much he likes you already,” Gladio added. “It’d break the kid’s heart to wake up in an empty bed.”

Noct bit his lip, obviously uncomfortable. “But I don’t want to let him get hurt. He’s already sacrificed so much for me.”

“He chose to, Noct,” Ignis said. “He did it because he cares about you.”

Ignis’ voice, though but a whisper, carried across the room. Gladio wrapped an arm around Ignis’ waist, drawing him near, holding him until Noct finally let out a sigh. He dropped his bag onto the ground, all the tension flowing out of his body.

“...He’s a real dumbass, isn’t he? Throwing away everything he has for a random guy he’s just met.”

Gladio nodded. “Yeah, he is. He’s almost too nice for his own good.”

“This world, however, could always use a little bit of extra kindness,” Ignis said.

“Maybe,” Noct said. “Thanks anyways. For telling me this. Guess I’m still staying the night here.” He kicked off his shoes carelessly and Ignis cringed. “...I’m going back to bed. Night.”

“Anytime, kid,” Gladio said. He and Ignis watched as Noct slowly trudged back into their spare room, quietly shutting the door behind himself. Even so, Prompto voice, laden with sleep, resounded clearly through the wood.

“Noct? Wha… what’s goin’ on? Where’d you go?”

“C’mon,” Gladio gently guided Ignis towards their bedroom. “Let’s leave the kids to it and go to sleep ourselves. ”

“Gladio—” Ignis’ half-hearted protests died on his lips when he saw his bed, craving nothing more than to collapse in its warmth. “Oh,  _ alright.  _ You’re a terrible influence on me, I hope you know.”

“Believe me, I know.” Gladio dropped onto their bed with the grace of a behemoth, extending his hand towards Ignis with a grin. Ignis smiled, shook his head, and took his glasses off, setting them on the nightstand before grabbing Gladio’s hand. He let himself be led under the covers, nestled against Gladio’s chest and secured by his arms. “You comfortable?”

“Very. I can already see myself struggling to leave your embrace come morning.”

“You’ll find a way. You always do.”

“I’m not so sure about that. You’ve dragged me back into bed far more times than I’d like to admit in our mornings together.”

"You can’t blame me.”

“Not when I’m guilty of the same crime.” Ignis plants a kiss to the side of Gladio’s jaw, making his way towards his lips. “We’ll need to be up early tomorrow. Let’s waste no more time and hurry off to sleep.”

“Wasting time?” Gladio kisses the tip of Ignis’ nose. “No time spent with you is ever wasted.”

“_Goodnight, _Gladio," Ignis said with a sense of finality. He would not let himself be kept awake by Gladio's saccharine words, no matter how much he longed to hear them whispered in his ear.

Gladio chuckled. “Sweet dreams, Iggy.”

* * *

The peace of their evening extended well into the morning, allowing Ignis and Gladio time to prep supplies and a breakfast for the boys without interruption. The worst part of the morning was when Gladio roused the boys from their sleep— he ended up having to physically drag them both out of bed. Once they were seated at the table, however, they perked up at the sight of Ignis’ buffet.

Breakfast was a jovial affair and it was only when Prompto stole the last slice of toast from Noct did their peace finally break through a series of rapid-fire knocks on the front door.

Gladio was up in a moment, jamming a finger in Noct’s direction. “Stay put. Listen to Iggy.” Then he was off, looking through the peephole before opening their door just a pinch. “Nyx. Is everything alright?”

“Not gonna lie, things ain’t lookin’ good.” Nyx’s tone was filled with panic and Ignis grabbed whatever was closest to him, which so happened to be a frying pan. It wasn’t a knife but, well, anything could be a weapon if one tried hard enough. “We need you. You gotta hurry— Crowe’s trying to hold them off, but you know her. She sees one cute girl and her brain short-circuits.”

“What’s going on? Hold who off?”

“Aranea? You know, the leader of the pirates who were searching this place yesterday?” Nyx said, like Gladio’s stupid. “She’s here herself and she’s  _ pissed.  _ She really wants that person she’s lookin’ for and you gotta help us stop ‘em before they tear this place apart.”

“Fuck,” Gladio cursed. “Alright, I’ll coming. Where are the pirates at?”

“Town square. Can’t miss ‘em, there’s a huge crowd. Alright, I gotta go and get Cor. Tell Ignis I said hi.” Nyx’s footsteps announced his departure. Gladio shut the door and hurried back into the kitchen.

“Iggy—” Gladio began, but Ignis was quicker, hushing him with a finger to his lips.

“Go, Gladio. I’ll ensure the boys make it out of here safely.” 

Gladio grabbed Ignis’ hand, briefly pressing his lips to the back of it. “Thanks, Iggy. Knew I could count on you.”

“Be careful, dear.”

“Me? Please, have you seen those pirates? I can take three of them blindfolded.”

“Fine,” Ignis rolled his eyes. “I’ll tell you not to hurt them too badly, then.”

Gladio smiled, all teeth, before swooping in to give Ignis a kiss. “No guarantees. Take care out there, Prompto, Noct. Don’t die.” He was out the door in one moment and in the next, Ignis was wrestling Noct into a sweater.

“Listen to me. Once out the door, take the first left down the street into an alleyway. It will lead you to—”

“Don’t worry, Iggy,” Prompto said. “I know all the shortcuts here. I know the fastest route to the train station.”

“Very well then.” Ignis tossed a bag in Prompto’s direction, and forced a hat on Noct’s head, desperately trying to hide his hair under the cap. “Once you get to Altissia, find Maagho. It’s a café run by a man named Weskham. Tell him Scientia has sent you and asked that he offers you support. You can trust him.”

“Altissia, Maagho, Weskham. Got it.”

“Do not speak to more strangers than necessary. Tell no-one your names or your destination. Keep to yourselves and please, refrain from calling attention to yourselves.”

“Sure,” Noct said. “Can you stop ruining my hair now?”

“I’m afraid you’ve already beat me to that,” Ignis replied smoothly. “Prompto, are you ready?”

“Yeah, but…” Prompto looked towards the direction of the street, where the sounds of a crowd were growing louder. “What about Gladio?”

“He’ll be fine,” Ignis said. As if on cue, Gladio bellowed and the crowd exploded into applause. Ignis groaned. “I told him not to get carried away.”

“If you say so. Tell him thanks for us, alright?”

“I will. Noct, are you ready?”

“Ready as I’ll ever be.” Noct adjusted his cap one last time, then looked over at Prompto. “What about you?”

“All set. Thanks for everything, Iggy.” Prompto reached over to give Ignis a quick embrace. “You be careful too, okay? Don’t worry about us. We’ll send a postcard as soon as we can.”

“I’ll be waiting eagerly.” Ignis returned the embrace, then began pushing the boys out the door. “Now, go! Hurry!”

“We will,” Noct said. “Thanks, Specs.”

“C’mon, Noct.” Prompto grabbed Noct’s hand. “Just follow me!” He dragged Noct onto the streets and, with one final wave to Ignis, started running. Ignis watched them leave until they rounded the corner, out of sight. He exhaled slowly.

“Astrals, please, protect them,” Ignis said, then spun around to head in the opposite direction, towards the crowds, towards Gladio. The crowds parted easily, allowing Ignis to slip through until he got to the edge.

Gladio, Nyx, Crowe, and a couple of other miners were in the center of the crowd, facing off against the pirates. A woman with steel-gray hair stood aside, her arms crossed and hip cocked to the side, with an expression laying somewhere between amusement and annoyance. Aranea, he presumed.

The miners appeared to be more interested in intimidating the pirates with their words, though Ignis could see they were prepared for a fight. Gladio caught Ignis’ eye and Ignis nodded. Relief showed clear on Gladio’s features before he smirked, shooting Ignis a wink and turning back to the pirates.

“I’m not sayin’ this again,” Gladio said. “You can get outta here on your own or we’ll make you leave.”

One of the pirates tutted. “Yeah? You think you’ll be able to throw us out? We could wipe the floor with your sorry asses.”

Nyx shrugged, giving Gladio a helpless look. “They’re not listening. If they want a fight, then they’ll get a fight.”

“Can’t say we didn’t warn ‘em.” Gladio gripped the center of his shirt and oh lord, Ignis recognized the signs of what was about to happen.

“Gladio!” Ignis called. “If you tear another shirt open  _ again,  _ I’ll not be repairing the—”

Gladio tore his shirt open.

Ignis sighed. “That’s the third one this month.”

The crowd did not share in Ignis’ displeasure and roared with appreciation, surely basking in the sight of Gladio’s defined muscles as he flexed.  _ “Show off,”  _ Ignis mouthed to Gladio when he looked back at Ignis— though Ignis was privately triumphant over how Gladio had eyes for him and only him in the crowd.

Ignis’ thoughts drifted back to Prompto and Noct as the miners engaged the pirates in battle. They should have reached the train station by now and were hopefully en route to Altissia, with the pirates none the wiser.

He smiled, as Gladio wrestled a pirate into a headlock. Yes, these pirates will never catch up with the two.

* * *

“Does it hurt?” Ignis asked, as he dabbed ointment on a bruise painting Gladio’s chest, hours after the pirates had been chased out successfully. Lestallum had been ecstatic and Gladio, swarmed by the crowd, hadn’t a moment with Ignis to himself until now, sitting on a couch as Ignis treated his injuries.

“Nah. It looks worse than it feels and besides, I’m sure Cor’s kicked my ass harder before.”

“Effortlessly, no doubt.”

“Hey!” Gladio said indignantly. “I’m already hurt, there’s no need to injure my pride as well.”

“Forgive me,” Ignis said, though he sounded anything but apologetic. “Allow me to offer you something to remedy that.” He leaned down to kiss Gladio, intending for it to be a simple, quick kiss, only for Gladio to bury his hands in Ignis’ hair to pull him closer. 

“Think I’m gonna need a little bit more, doc,” Gladio said, when they broke for air. “I’m feelin’ dizzy now, too.”

“You’re insatiable,” Ignis said— though he let himself be pulled into yet another kiss nonetheless. 

“Gotta make up for lost time. Was planning to go a lot further last night, before Prompto and Noct decided to show up.” Gladio paused. “...If we’re bein’ honest here, I don’t think those two could ever survive in Altissia alone. Have you seen them? They’re hopeless.”

“Your words are harsh, though I can’t bring myself to disagree. They are passionate and determined, but determination can only bring one so far.” Ignis sat down next to Gladio, tilting his head to rest on Gladio's shoulder.

“Yeah.”

Ignis basked in Gladio’s warmth, shutting his eyes, struggling to imagine the boys in Altissia, wandering alone through its streets. Beautiful as it was, Altissia was a maze. How Ignis longed to visit, never having been there before. He had plans to visit, once upon a time, though he was never able to act on them. Unless…

“Gladio.” Ignis sat up. “Do you remember where we planned to have our honeymoon?”

“How could I forget? I dream about it every night. We were supposed to go to Altissia. Ditch the mines, the bakery, and forget about everything but each other for a week.” Gladio said. Then the realization hit him and his eyes widened. “Oh.  _ Oh.” _

“If I recall correctly, Cor has told us on multiple occasions that we needn’t worry about leaving Lestallum. The miners are perfectly capable of taking care of themselves without you and they could do without my baking for some time."

“Y’know, Iris has been nagging me nonstop on how I’ve never took you out for a honeymoon. You think this’ll finally get her to stop?”

“Of course.” Ignis’ smile curled into a smirk. “Gladio, if we hurry, we may just be able to catch the latest train running.”

Gladio kissed Ignis. “Then what are we waiting for? Let’s go to Altissia!”

**Author's Note:**

> More notes about this AU:  
\- Ignis owns a bakery while Gladio works in the mines. They're married and they love each other very much.  
\- Prompto lives alone on a hill and works in the mines-- though he mostly works on the machines and repairing them over the actual hard labour.  
\- Remember how, in the original film, Muska was secretly from Laputa and wanted to become king of it? Yeah anyways that's Ardyn
> 
> <s>skghs when planning this, I watched the original for inspiration and actually started planning a Promptis POV fic about the first time they met in this AU so if y'all want to see that,,,, i wouldn't mind hearing some noise</s>  
(hey! edit 01/27/2020: i finally wrote a [promptis prequel](https://archiveofourown.org/works/22343623) to this if you're interested in it!)
> 
> I'm not actually planning on turning this fic into a full series buuut if you wanna chat about this AU, hmu at @aratanaruu on twitter/tumblr/insta and I will gladly sceam about it with you!!


End file.
